1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of semi-automatic and fully automatic firearms, and more specifically, to a bolt cleaner for firearms that utilize a rotating breech bolt (for example, the M-4 carbine, M16 and AR-15 rifles).
2. Description of the Related Art
The components included in the bolt carrier portion of a semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm are responsible for feeding live ammunition from the magazine, inserting it into the chamber, providing the firing pin strike that initiates the firing of the ammunition, and extracting and ejecting the spent round from the firing chamber. The operating system of these firearms routes high-pressure gas from the fired cartridge case directly into the bolt carrier to provide the necessary energy to operate the bolt once for every round fired. A problem that is unique to this “direct gas impingement” design arises with the accumulation of carbon from the gunpowder residue collecting inside the bolt carrier and on the aft or tail end of the bolt, in and around the bolt's gas sealing rings. If this carbon fouling is not removed regularly, the action of the bolt and bolt carrier can be slowed and eventually interrupted, thus causing the firearm to “jam” or fail to complete the process of extracting an empty round and loading a live one. In circumstances where the firearm is employed in a military or law enforcement application, these sudden stoppages can be life-threatening to the operator.
Current methods for cleaning carbon deposits from a bolt can best be described as “free-hand” in that a person takes a cleaning brush, pocket knife, modified brass cartridge case or the like and attempts to scrape away the carbon on the tail section of the bolt. These methods are imprecise, however, and they also risk scraping the gas sealing rings, which are situated immediately ahead of the tail section of the bolt where the carbon deposits build up. If the gas scaling rings are dislodged or damaged by a cleaning tool, the rifle operation will be disabled.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means of cleaning the bolt that can be readily accomplished in low light conditions, harsh operating environments, and by gloved hands, if necessary. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool that accomplishes precise cleaning of all of the edges on the tail end of the bolt. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bolt cleaning tool that scrapes only the tail end of the bolt and that does not come into contact with the gas sealing rings. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bolt cleaning tool that is comprised of a single piece and that has no other parts that can be lost or misplaced. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bolt cleaning tool that is portable, light and small so that it can be carried in the field without burdening the operator with extra weight or bulk.